Greetings to all the Rosarians. With exams just around the corner, students often wonder 'how to revise for exams effectively? Throughout the exam period they are under constant pressure to learn, summarize and revise. So, to help my Rosarian friends I have few points to share on how students can improve their memory, mood and concentration. Here are 9 simple tips that are the best ways to revise.

EAT PROPER BREAKFAST – Over 60% of teenage boys and 70% of teenage girls regularly skip breakfast. Eating breakfast, especially cereals rich with complex carbohydrates, helps boost your concentration and memory over the course of the morning and this is extremely beneficial in our developing years. Eating breakfast will help facilitate their morning revision session.

DON’T LISTEN TO MUSIC – So music can improve motivation (this is why people listen to music on the treadmill at the gym) and it can improve mood (listening to your favorite song usually makes people smile). But does it help to listen to music while revising? Studies have shown that people who revise listening to music recall less than those who revise in a quiet environment. Music with no lyrics is better than music with lyrics (regardless of whether you like the lyrics or not). This negative impact of music on memory has been shown to have more impact on introverts than extroverts.

PRACTICE PAST PAPERS AND SPACE OUT STUDY SESSIONS – A research by psychology department of SNDT women’s university, highlights how doing past papers and spreading out revision are effective strategies to help aid learning. They also highlighted some popular strategies, such as highlighting key passages to memorize them and cramming revision into one long session, are not particularly helpful.

PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY- Having your phone out and in sight, even if you are not using it, can make you perform 20% worse than if you had put your phone away. That is the finding of a scientific study, which found that “the mere presence of a cell phone may be sufficiently distracting to produce diminished attention and deficits in task-performance, especially for tasks with greater attention and cognitive demands”. The implication couldn’t be clearer; out of sight really is out of mind

DRINK WATER REGULARLY – Drinking water has been shown to help improve both memory and concentration. If students wait until they feel thirsty, their concentration levels have already dropped. As well as during revision, evidence is starting to emerge that drinking water in exams can also help students achieve better marks.

GET FRESH AIR – Taking a break in a field or a park will improve your concentration much more than if you go for a walk in a busy locality. Students who frequently take a walk outside found their performance on a boring task improved by 20%. This is because natural environments replenish your brain, whereas urban ones require your brain to stay alert, further draining your mental resources

DO SOME EXERCISE – Researchers at Bhubhneshwar University have found that people perform significantly better if they work out for 45 minutes at lunch time. As well as improving their mood and ability to deal with stressful situations, their scores for their perceived concentration levels were 21% higher on days that they exercised.

KEEP A DIARY – To state the obvious, revision time can be very stressful as the pressure of upcoming exams increases. Keeping a diary is an effective way to help capture negative thoughts. Recognising these negative thoughts is the first step to managing them and improving our cognitive processes.

REGULAR BED TIMES – Going to bed at a regular time is the most important point emphasized by doctors. Research shows that having a regular bed time helps the cognitive development and performance of young children. Research into teenagers and sleep patterns has also found that those who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to fall ill.

I hope you will incorporate some of these tips into your study schedule and would help you in revising better for your exams. All the best for the coming exams. Do well. Good luck!!

Stress is a major problem for many of us. It is also a badge of honour for some people, for instance if you are not stressed, you are just not working hard enough. You don’t sleep well throughout the night. The alarm didn’t go off. You get late for the school. There’s a deadline to finish up the assignment, but your computer is down with virus. According to experts, stress levels are increasing and stress- related ailments are shooting up. Stress is different things to different people. For a mountaineer, it is the challenge of pushing physical resources to the limit to achieve a demanding goal. To a motorist, it can be the hassle of heavy traffic and toxic exhaust fumes and to a student it can be exam pressure.

But, what is this stress? It is the inability to cope with a real or imaginary threat to one’s mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well being which results in a series of physiological responses and adaptations. Now that we have understood what stress is, managing it is the next & the most important step to accomplish.

MANAGING STRESS:

1. LAUGH IT OFF! : Children laugh over three hundred times a day but teenagers and adults only fifteen times a day. Laughing really lowers adrenalin & cortisol two stress hormones.

2. ROLL WITH IT! : Rolling one’s feet over a rolling pin for 5 min to relieve tension. This triggers endorphins (happiness inducing brain chemicals).

3. WORK IT OUT! : Incorporating regular exercise in your daily routine will make your pituitary glands release endorphins, which will ease anxiety.

4. EAT IT UP! : Eating green leafy vegetables, almonds and low fat cheese helps in releasing stress as it contains vitamins E & B which are calming vitamins.

5. BREATHE IT OUT! : Breathing deeply by inhaling through our nose and exhaling through our mouth gives body enough oxygen & helps in slowing heart rate.

"Yesterday is Gone. Tomorrow has not come we have only today. Let us begin" – Mother Teresa

Each day is a new chapter to our book of life. We got to live once. Every day that passes is an opportunity if not availed is a waste. It is gone and it will not come back. We cannot enjoy life until we learn how to size every opportunity, But how can we do that ?

Firstly, by beginning our day with a positive note. When you wake up in the morning think of what privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy and to love. A good positive mind can take on any challenge that the day presents.

Secondly, focus on the present, start thinking that whatever I do today will be reflected in the days to come. It is up to me to shape it, to take control and grab every opportunity that comes in my way. The power lies in the choices that you make each day.

It does not matter what you did or where you were … It only matters what you are doing in the present. So my dear Rosarian’s. Get out there! Sing the song in your heart and never let anyone bring you down. Live your life with this kind of exuberance and make the most of each day. Take care and keep smiling.

Have you ever noticed how language can make or break a situation? The kind of words we choose in any situation creates a strong impact on our mind be it positive or negative. Words have a very strong influence on our thinking and perception. Using simple words like 'can' or 'do' instead of ' can't' or 'don't' makes a lot of difference in coping with stressful situations. Below are examples that can be used in daily life

So let us begin this new academic session on a positive note. Make a fresh start with optimistic approach and a new strategy to deal with situations.

Good luck and keep smiling!